woman astronaut in the world, as well as two simply astonishing physicians, aerospace docks, randi lovelace of the lovelace foundation that joan mentioned who along with his colleague, brigadier donald flickinjer of the air force, designed the medical tests for john glenn, allen p shepard and all the rest, ran them through the tests at the love lace clinic in new mexico, and then helped select those men for america's first astronauts. so you'll be hearing about don flickinger and randi lovelace, geri cobb, as well as be introduced to jaums webb who during that time was the head of nasa. and this is a scene that sort of sets up the mood of the country, space fever that was just engulfing the united states in the early 1960's, and a particular moment that happened at a most inauspicious place, a chamber of commerce luncheon, a chicken and green peas luncheon in oklahoma city in 1961. it begins on a snowy january afternoon a few days after john kennedy had been sworn in as president. geri cobb sat down next to james webb for a chamber of commerce lunch then oklahoma city, honoring the state's

so you'll be hearing about don and randy lovelace, jerri cob, as well as be introduced to james web, during that time was the head of nasa. this is a scene that sets up the mood of the country, space fever that was just engulfing the united states in the early. and a chicken and green peas luncheon in oklahoma city in 1961. against on a snowy january afternoon, a few days after john kennedy had been sworn in as president. jerrie cobb sajas web for a cha commerce leaders in the city honoring leaders in the aerospace community. one could not tell by looking at her quiet dem enear but cobb was sitting on secrets. moments after the first press conference introducing mercury 7 astronauts cobb became a test subject at the foundation. they had found their exceptional female pilot. when lovelays revealed the results in stockholm, reporters began calling cobb's parents in the middle of the night trying to track down the tas tern young woman the media instantly dubbed america's first astronaut. the past year had been a whirlwind for cobb. now she held another confidence. dr. lovelace tested 12

the response largely as the next year or so went on because of randy lovelace's death. so it was -- tereshkova was dismissed. it wasn't until the hard work of the feminist movement of the 1970s as well as the civil rights movement that i think finally began to open the doors in 1978 for the first class of women astronauts. >> women astronauts in russia encounter the same obstacles? did they have to fight as hard? >> the first class? they were a minority among a larger group of women. interestingly when i interviewed eileen collins not part of that first class but a current astronaut and talked to her about what kind of exams, physical and medical exams we took, she said the exams we have are nothing like the exams these people went through. in part because our knowledge of space in those years was very minimal, so everything was tested. as far as discrimination and obstacles, yes, i think there certainly was some. there's an editorial cartoon in the book about sally ride where reporters are badgering her with questions that seem all too familiar. can you make coffee up

the mercury 13, much of a response, i think largely as the next year or so went on, because of randi lovelace's death. so she was sort of dismissed, and it wasn't until the hard work of the feminist movement of the 1970's as well as the civil rights movement, that i think finally began to open the doors in 1978 for the first class of women astronauts. >> did women astronauts in russia encounter the same obstacles? >> that first class? well, they were a small minority, certainly, among a larger group of women. interestingly, when i interviewed eileen collins, who was not part of that first class but who was a -- is a current astronaut, and talked to her, for example, about what kind of exams, what kind of physical and medical exams she took, she said the exams we have are nothing like the exams that these people went through, in part because our knowledge of space at that point in the early years was very minimal, so everything was tested. but as far as discrimination and obstacles, yes, i think that there certainly was some. there's an editorial cartoon in the book about sally ride where report